F1 >>> NEWS
While all the attention has been on McLaren’s
struggles in recent races, another team to have
mixed strong performances with disappointing
showings this year has been Sauber.
The 2012 Formula One season has delivered a
succession of highs and lows for the Swiss racers,
who have been experiencing something of a
negative slump since Sergio Perez last took to the
podium in Montreal.
Team principal Peter Sauber described the
European Grand Prix as a “race of missed
opportunities”
, while Silverstone brought a
Maldonado-inflicted retirement for Perez as team
mate Kamui Kobayashi sent three of the team’s
mechanics to the medical centre for after an
accident in his second pit stop.
“We have failed to score points this season
several times and for a variety of reasons,” said CEO
Monisha Kaltenborn. “In hindsight it doesn’t help
to pine for those points, as now we have to move
for ward. The Sauber C31 has proved to be quick
on all types of circuits. Plus we’ve got two strong
drivers – Sergio has been on the podium twice this
year, and Kamui has been able to shine with a fourth
in qualifying and a fifth in a race. Both have a fastest
race lap to their names. We have everything it takes
to wind up the first half of the season in a positive
way, and that’s our aim for Hockenheim.”
Hockenheim will offer Sauber the opportunity to
salvage some of the ground lost to all the teams
at the British Grand Prix when endless rain and
wet running made it impossible to test the raft of
upgrades the bulk of the paddock had brought to
Silverstone.
“We will have some minor modifications to the
rear of the car [in Germany], and we still don’t know
a hundred percent the effect of the development
package we introduced in Silverstone, because,
due to the bad weather, we could not do all the
measurements we planned,” said head of track
engineering Giampaolo Dall’Ara. “However, I’m
confident our performance will be strong again, as
our car has been quick on various different tracks
this year.”
SAUBER LOOK TO HOCKENHEIM TO IMPROVE FORM
8
GPWEEK.com //
PARTNERS: